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Tiger Woods: Pain-free and ready to test his back

BETHESDA, Md. -- Tiger Woods has been asked a lot recently about when he'd be playing golf. Now he can talk about his golf game. Woods, who has not played competitively since undergoing back surgery on March

BETHESDA, Md. – Twenty-five photographers were waiting on the driving range at Congressional Country Club around high noon on Tuesday, all waiting to descend on the center of golf's universe.

Tiger Woods was coming to his second home.

At 12:25 p.m. ET, Woods was back at a PGA Tour tournament site for the first time since March 9 when the winner of 79 Tour titles shot a final-round 78 in the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. Saying he is pain-free and the risk for re-injury to his back that was operated on March 31 is minimal, Woods is anxious to tee it up with Jason Day and Jordan Spieth in Thursday's first round of the Quicken Loans National.

"Expectations don't change," Woods said when asked if he was here to win. "That's the ultimate goal. It's just that it's going to be a little bit harder this time. I just haven't had the amount of prep and reps that I would like, but I'm good enough to play, and I'm going to give it a go.

" … It's been an interesting ride. This has been quite a tedious little process, but one where I got to a point where I can play competitive golf again, and it's pretty exciting."

The buzz level was palpable throughout the massive grounds at Congressional, where Woods has won twice. CNN and CNBC sent crews. Newspapers which otherwise would not have covered the event sent reporters. Other outlets including ESPN sent extra personnel. Golf Channel aired Tuesday's press conference of the 14-time major winner. And as soon as he announced his return last Friday, ticket sales spiked.

In his absence, TV ratings have tumbled. The Masters' final round was down 28% from a year ago; for The Players Championship, which Woods won in 2013, the ratings for the final round were down 54%; and the final-round of the U.S. Open was down 46% from last year. While there were other mitigating circumstances, including Martin Kaymer's blowout win in the U.S. Open, Phil Mickelson not contending and a rain-delay at The Players, the only common thread with all three is that Woods did not play.

"Tiger is the driving force behind our game and we need him playing and we need him playing well," Brandt Snedeker said. "We've missed him out here. Obviously, the TV ratings haven't been where they need to be the last six months and he's a large part of that. More than that he brings in the casual fan which we haven't had the last few months."

Woods, in a playful mood during his press conference and clearly happy to be back with his colleagues, didn't look the worse for wear as he practiced for 50 minutes, putting, chipping and hitting on the range. Save for battling allergies that were making his eyes water, Woods looked fine throughout.

"Once I got back to where I was playing golf and knocking off rust and playing, shaping shots, looking at holes, strategizing how to play them, things started coming back quickly," Woods said. "Lo and behold, here we are."

If it weren't for the tournament benefiting the Tiger Woods Foundation, however, Woods said he "probably would not" have played this week. And his explosiveness with his body and swing isn't back to the level he is used to, but added it will come back "in time." But saying he has healed fast and followed all the protocols as his trainers and physiotherapists have been in lock-step with his surgeon, he's good to go.

VIDEO: Tiger talks about return

Tiger Woods speaks at the Quicken Loans National press conference. Tiger speaks about his health, returning to golf, his career, and his foundation.

"I'm actually probably ahead of the schedule than everyone thought I would be at," Woods said. "We all thought the British Open would be my first event back. But I healed fast."

The British Open is less than a month away and is at Royal Liverpool, where Woods won in 2006. After winning five times last year, Woods has not won this season. He has played three times on the PGA Tour, missing the secondary cut at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, where he has won eight times, including the last of his 14 major titles in the 2008 U.S. Open; withdrawing in the final round with back spasms at the Honda Classic; and finishing in a tie for 25th at the Cadillac Challenge.

VIDEO: TIGER SAYS HE'S GOOD ENOUGH TO PLAY

Tiger Woods will play his first competitive round of golf in over 3 months Thursday near Washington, D.C. The 14-time major winner is returning to play in the Quicken Loans National, the tournament he hosts at Congressional Country Club. (June 24)
AP

Since then, he's slowly been rehabbing, first putting, then chipping and then adding 10 yards every day or two as he progressed through the golf bag hitting full shots. His back, it turns out, has been bothering him on and off for two years. He said the back would feel fantastic and then he just couldn't move. Finally, the back had deteriorated so much that he said he couldn't function, even having difficulty getting out of bed, before his microdiscectomy to alleviate pressure caused by a pinched nerve.

"It's been a very, very long time," Woods said when asked how long it's been since he felt this healthy.

All in the golf industry are hoping he's healthy for a long time. Former Tour pro and current Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, who has had his run-ins with Woods in the past, said he hopes Woods hasn't come back too soon. But barring any setbacks, he expects Woods to be Woods again.

"I don't think he has to be competitive for viewers to keep watching. I don't think anybody in this case is going to have the same expectations they had when Tiger came back in the past," Chamblee said. "He's older, he's already said he's going to be rusty. And this surgery, as opposed to a neck, a knee, an Achilles, has to do with the ability to build a turn and build power.

"Clearly Tiger could play world-class golf with a broken leg. He averaged 320 yards at the 2008 U.S. Open off the tee with a broken leg. But playing with a bad back, which was evident at Torrey Pines this year in the Farmers (Insurance Open), he just couldn't make the turn he needed to make. His golf swing was quite a bit shorter. That causes a host of problems. That turns maybe the best player of all time into a very average player.

"Still, if he's at 60% speed, he's still one of the best players in the world. He doesn't have to be as good as he can be to be the best player in the world. He's that much better than everybody else."

PHOTOS: TIGER WOODS' PGA TOUR VICTORIES

Tiger Woods, who on Monday announced that he will miss the Masters for the first time since 1995 due to back surgery, has won 79 times on the PGA Tour, three short of the all-time record held by Sam Snead. Here, on June 15, 2008, Woods makes a birdie on the 18th green to force an 18-hole playoff with Rocco Mediate at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Woods won that playoff the next day for his 65th victory and 14th major. Now, take a look back at all 79 of Woods' victories. (Photo: Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)

Victory No. 4: 1997 Masters at Augusta National. April 10-13, 1997. (Woods gets help with his first green jacket from Nick Faldo. Woods, at 21, set scoring records and won by 12 shots.) (Photo: USA TODAY)

Victory No. 35: 2003 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in San Diego.Feb. 13-16, 2003. (Woods watches Phil Mickelson putt on the ninth green in the final round. Mickelson was part of the chase pack that day.) (Photo: Tom Kurtz, AFP)

Victory No. 51: 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill. Aug. 17-20, 2006. (Woods with Phil Mickelson, one of his playing partners for the first two rounds.) (Photo: Donald Miralle, Getty Images)

Victory No. 57: 2007 Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte. May 3-6, 2007. (Woods with Michael Jordan in the pro-am before the tournament.) (Photo: Streeter Lecka, Getty Images)

Victory No. 58: 2007 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Aug. 2-5, 2007 (Here, Woods for his ball in the crook of the folded arm of spectator Rudy Wittensoldner on the ninth green during the final round. Woods got a free drop and made par.) (Photo: Amy Sancetta, AP)